Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-03-04
THE DEPENDENT PENSION BILL.
CONGREsSMEN STEWARDS OPINION OF 1T.
From the Burlington Free Press.

From the Burlington Free Press.
Though the following statement of
the opinions of our honored representa-
tive in Congress, Hon. John W. Stewart.
came to us in Il private letter. we shall
be pardoncd for printing it, We have
seen nothing clearer or more forcible on
that side of the question:
| am somewhat surprised that the
Free Press should have expressed an
opinion unfavorable to the dependent
pension bill. No bill was ever more
grossly misrepresented by the press of
the country, and the criticisms of the
President are hypocritical and dictated
by IA spirit of hostility to the policy of
further extension of the pension list,
which he has repeatedly shown in vetoes
of most meritorious cases. Under the
bill totai disability is a prerequisite to
enjoyment of its provisions. No one at
tempted to answer or could answer the
argument on that point of Matson, the
chairman of the committee. Then as to
the number of beneficiaries the estimate
of the committee was based not upon
conjecture, but upon careis lily gathered
and precise statistics, furnished by the
pension bureau, whereby the wild conjec-
lures of the President and the papers who
joined in the hue and cry are shown to
| have no other foundation than the vary
ing fancies of the directors. The per-
sonal influence of the executive was
brought to bear upon the Democrats of
the House, by which enough votes were
changed to defeat the bill. As it was we
had 80 Democrats and Il solid Republican
vote for it, Every man from the South,
save Woolford of Kentucky voted against
| it, while every Southern member voted
for the Mexican service pension bill, far
more obnoxious to all the executive crit
icisms than this one, as you will see by
comparison. Now as to the result here.
The entire pension legislation is stopped.
The Democrats refused to give us last
night for consideration of pension bills
1--WE have had Friday nights regularly
and the committee refuse to meet again
or to report upon any vetoed bill now in
committees, for the reason, as one of the
Democratic members said to-day, that the
Democratic vote will defeat any bill how
ever meritorious which has failed to re-
ceive an executive sanction, and the COM
mttee decline to antagonze tie President
any further. | assure you that the spirit
which prompts this action now is at bot
tom inspired by the confederates and the
free traders. The commercial press is
hostile to the whole pension policy. The
rich, who can best afford to be taxed, are
opposed.
For myself | do not hesitate to say
that it is the duty of the country now to
take care of honorably discharged sol
diers whose disability is total, who are
destitute of property and whose disabili-
ty is not the result of vicious habits.
such is this bill, and that is all there is
of it. The solid South is against it. The
commercial and moneyed men of the
country are against it, to some extent at
least. The Democratic party is against
it. The mugwumpS are against 1t; but
| believe the great heart of the North
beats responsively to this just call. The
scribblers have said that this was promp-
ted by and was the work of pension
agents, which is as false as the Other
criticisms on the bill. Every member OF
the pension committee on both sides
stamps it as Il lie unaduterated. 1t was
the work of the committee, in Il line witt
executive recommendation as to general
policy, and prompted solely by "A desire
to do justice to Il deserving class of the
nations defenders in its hour of peril.
Yours truly,
j. W. STEWART.